


Put to Rights

by songofhell



Series: Every Star in the Universe [1]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Academy Era, Episode AU: s04e17-18 The End of Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:08:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22286893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songofhell/pseuds/songofhell
Summary: Centuries ago, the seemingly unbreakable bond between two Time Lords was tested, and now, at the end of time, they may just get a second chance to make things right.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/The Master (Simm), The Doctor | Theta Sigma/The Master | Koschei (Doctor Who: Academy Era), The Doctor/The Master (Doctor Who)
Series: Every Star in the Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1605082
Comments: 17
Kudos: 87





	Put to Rights

“Theta!” a familiar voice called from down the corridor.

The young Time Lord shook his head, refusing to slow his pace. “Not now, Mortimus. I have a study session with Borusa, and if I’m late again, I’ll be hearing his tenth encore of ‘you’ll never amount to anything in the galaxy.’” He mocked his professor’s voice with a roll of his eyes.

“Oh, so you don’t want to hear that Koschei has just nearly blown up the thermodynamics lab?”

It was as though a wall had been dropped in front of him with the abruptness that he stopped and whirled to face his friend. _“What?”_

Mortimus nodded. “Ushas is with him now. I just thought you should know.”

Theta looked over his shoulder, in the direction of Borusa’s classroom before he sighed and stalked off in the opposite direction. “When I flunk out of here, it’s on _his_ head,” he muttered as he drew level with Mortimus.

Mortimus grinned as he fell into step beside him. “You could always ask Ushas to tutor you.” He chortled at the look of horror that comment brought to Theta’s face.

“I don’t even want to imagine Ushas tutoring someone!” She may be one of his closest friends, but she made Borusa look like a softy. “Besides, I don’t need tutoring. They just need to teach better material here.”

“No one’s arguing with you there. Oh, speaking of Ushas, though – I think Magnus likes her.”

“Really?” he asked, not really curious, but humoring his friend. “They’d be quite the pair. Not sure even he can handle her, though.”

“Probably not. I hope he doesn’t try anything. On the off chance that it does work out, it’ll feel like all the members of our group are pairing off.”

Theta looked over at him, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Just because of Magnus and Ushas getting together?”

“Well, them… and you and Koschei.”

Theta nearly tripped over his own feet. He rounded on Mortimus with a wide-eyed glare, blood rushing up to color his cheeks. “There is nothing going on between me and Koschei!”

He arched an eyebrow at him skeptically. “Come on, Theta, how long have you had a crush on him, now?”

“He’s my best friend.” He shook his head as he turned around and continued walking. “That’s all.”

“Well, that’s all there is _now._ But _maybe…”_

“No,” he said firmly. “And don’t you dare, Mortimus, _don’t you dare_ go meddling in my love life.”

He sighed in defeat. “Fine, fine. I’ll meddle in Magnus’s instead.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

They were nearly to the thermodynamics lab and Theta could already smell the aftermath of the explosion. He rounded the corner, his eyes immediately going to where Koschei was sitting in the middle of the floor, his arms propped up on his knees and his clothing singed. Ushas was a short distance inside the door, clearly making an effort to clean up the mess. With just a precursory glance around the lab, this appeared to be one of Koschei’s worst incidents. Even if they managed to get the rest of the Deca to help, there was no way they’d be able to clean everything up tonight, which meant that at least Koschei was going to end up in trouble, if not all of them. Class in the lab would probably have to be canceled for at least a week, which was truly unfortunate, as it was the only class Theta actually enjoyed.

Koschei didn’t look up at the sound of their entrance, but Ushas turned towards the door, her eyes landing on Theta. “Good,” she sighed. “You’re here.”

At that, Koschei looked up. “Theta Sigma. Look who decided to make an appearance.”

Theta blinked in surprise at the coolness of his tone, but he shook it off as he walked over to kneel beside his friend. “Are you hurt?” he asked worriedly, reaching out to place his hand gently on his arm.

Koschei flinched away. “I’m fine,” he snapped.

He frowned, trying to shove down the hurt he felt at his recoil. “Kosch…” he breathed softly. “What’s wrong? What happened here?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I just… made a mistake.”

“A mistake?” he repeated skeptically. No way. Koschei was too smart for this to have happened by mistake. He shook his head. “Koschei, you can’t keep doing things like this. Do you know what kind of trouble you’ll be in? We’ll all be in?”

“No, but I’m sure you’d love to tell me,” he muttered, glaring at the ceiling.

“Oh, don’t be like that. Don’t label me as the bad guy, spoiling your fun by reminding you of the consequences. I’m just trying to look out for you. I mean, I skipped my study session with Borusa to be here, and when he finds out-”

“Well, I didn’t ask you to come!” Koschei turned and shouted directly in his face.

A stunned silence fell over the room. Theta wasn’t sure what his face was doing, but he felt dumbfounded, furious, and heartbroken all at once.

Koschei didn’t look at him as he scrambled to his feet and stormed out the door. “Sorry about your precious lab, Theta,” he called over his shoulder just before the door slammed shut behind him, the top hinge breaking off as it did so.

“Well, he’s clearly not sticking around to clean up his mess,” Ushas commented as Theta stared, horrified, at the door. “No surprise there. We should just go tell someone.”

“No,” Theta said, shaking his head as he rose slowly to his feet. “I’ll clean it up best I can. Try to stop him from getting in too much trouble.”

Ushas sighed, shaking her head. “Theta, you have cleaned up his messes too many times. You’re not responsible for him, you know.”

“I know,” he assured her. “And I’m not going to make a habit out of it. Promise.”

She looked skeptical, but still handed the cleaning supplies over to him without protest.

“Did either of you see what happened?” Theta asked as he began to clean.

They both shook their heads. “He said it was an accident,” Mortimus said.

“No,” he shook his head. “Even if his grades don’t show it, Koschei is one of the smartest people in this school. He couldn’t do something like this on accident. I just can’t work out why he’d do it on _purpose….”_

“Which just goes to show that _your_ grades are a perfectly accurate depiction of your intelligence,” Ushas commented.

He frowned at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded.

“You really haven’t noticed the pattern?”

“What pattern?” he asked, at a loss.

She gave an exasperated sigh. “What’s your life been like lately?”

“Life?” he scoffed. “What life? I’ve been studying every spare second!”

“Exactly. And the last time he pulled something like this, you had spent weeks obsessing over that paper for Azmael. We hardly saw you.”

“What’s your point?”

“He’s doing this to get your attention.”

At that, Theta laughed. “That’s ridiculous. Koschei doesn’t have to blow up a lab to get my attention!”

“Does he know that?”

***

“The human race was always your favorite, Doctor. But now, there is no human race. There is only the Master race.” The Master threw back his head and laughed and all the other Masters in the room joined in.

The Doctor took a step forward, his desperation showing on his face as he attempted to catch the Master’s eyes. “Undo it.”

The Master blinked, manic amusement shining in his eyes. “Undo it? Why would I do that? Oh, let me guess, you’re going to _make me.”_ The ensemble of Masters laughed while the original smiled, spreading his arms out in front of him. “It may have escaped your notice, my dear Doctor, but you’re outnumbered.”

“You don’t need this. You don’t need a whole race of you-”

“It’s not _about_ a whole race of me,” he snarled. “It’s about the _end_ of the _human race.”_

“You don’t have to do this!” he said desperately. “If it’s my attention you want, you’ve got it! You don’t-”

“Oh, typical Doctor!” he sneered. “You still think this is all about you?”

“What is it about, then?”

“You want to know?” The Doctor stood his ground as the Master closed the distance between them, a chill running down his spine as the other Time Lord leaned forward so that his lips brushed against his ear. “Too bad,” he whispered. “You!” he abruptly called to one of his doppelgangers. “Go get the Doctor a chair.” His eyes moved back to the Doctor and he smiled. “I want to make sure you have the best seat in the house.”

“Ah, as much as I appreciate the thought, you know, I really ought to be going.” He took a step back as the Master gave a nod to his right. Instantly, the guards moved forward and seized Wilf. At the same time, all the other Masters in the room, save the original, moved to block the door.

“Oh, Doctor,” the Master said joyfully. “You’re not going anywhere. Tie him to a chair,” he added to the men holding Wilf.

The Doctor looked over at Wilf, distraught. He didn’t know quite how yet, but he knew he was clever enough to figure out a way to get himself out of there. But to get Wilf out with him… that would take more time to figure out than he had. He looked back at the Master, his desperation once more showing on his face. “Master, please-”

His smile grew at the use of his name. “Oh, what will it be this time? Please let him go? Please stop this? Please stop committing heinous acts and come see the stars with me?” he mocked.

“Yes,” he said fervently, taking a half-step forward. “All of it.” He took a deep breath. “Ko-”

“Oh, look, your chair’s here!” he interrupted as a trolley, decked out in all kinds of straps, was wheeled into the room.

The Doctor sighed, but he didn’t struggle as the guards began to strap him down. He knew it was useless at this point. Besides, the problem was here. Running away wouldn’t help him clean up this mess.

“Gag him for good measure,” the Master said to the guards.

“Oh come-!” The Doctor’s protest was cut short as the gag was placed over his mouth while the other guards finished tightening the straps.

“Now then,” the Master said as he turned away from him. “I've got a planet to run.”

***

“Koschei, open up!” Theta Sigma called through the closed door.

Finally, his friend flung the door open. “What do you want, Theta?” he snapped.

“You want to go for a walk?” he asked hopefully.

“No,” he answered sourly.

He looked down as he sighed, but immediately looked back up at Koschei hopefully. “Please?”

He ground his teeth together for a second before he sighed in exasperation. “Fine.”

Theta’s smile lit up his face as Koschei left his dorm room and fell into step beside him, neither of them saying anything as they navigated the familiar path out of the building. As they stepped outside and started walking along the star-lit campus, Theta tried to figure out how to breach the subject. To his surprise, though, it was Koschei who spoke up first.

“How long did it take you to clean up?” he asked, his tone hard to decipher.

“I just finished,” he sighed. “You know I can’t keep cleaning up your messes for you, Koschei.”

“Well, I never asked you to.” He didn’t shout it this time, for which Theta was relieved, but he still wished he could tell what his friend was thinking.

“Someone had to…. Why’d you do it?”

“Why do you keep accusing me of lying?” he shot back, but he still didn’t sound angry. Just tired. “I said it was an accident.”

“Because I know you, Kosch. And… you’ve kind of made a habit of this kind of stuff lately. I mean, the damage to the school, the hypnotism-”

“That’s just fun,” he argued, the corners of his lips twitching up just slightly.

“Your victims don’t agree,” Theta said sternly. “Besides, it’s dangerous for you. You’re lucky you haven’t gotten into more trouble than you have.”

“I suppose you’re going to point out that I have you to thank for that?”

He shook his head. “I can’t be there to stop things from blowing up all the time.”

Something passed over Koschei’s face to quickly for Theta to catch it. “You weren’t there tonight,” he pointed out.

Theta slowed his stride, looking over at his friend curiously. “Ushas…” He hesitated and Koschei looked over at him with raised eyebrows. He sighed and continued, “Ushas thinks you’re doing these things to get my attention.”

At that, Koschei laughed. “And you accuse me of being arrogant.”

“Hey, I didn’t say I believed her. I was just saying…” He glared at Koschei, who was still chortling. “Shut up.”

“Good to know that you think my world revolves around you.”

“I didn’t…” he sighed in defeat, knowing that nothing he said would stop Koschei from milking this. “Well, I’m glad it’s not the case, because it’s just ridiculous. I mean, you already have my attention. One hundred percent.”

Koschei’s laughter died down as he looked at Theta out of the corner of his eyes. “Oh, come on, Thete. Your head is too lost in the stars for that to be true.”

“But it is true,” he insisted. “Koschei, you’re my best friend, you’re the most important person in my life. I don’t know what I’d be without you.”

Even though he was looking the other direction, Theta could see the curve of Koschei’s smile. “Well, you know you’re the center of my universe,” he teased.

“Oh, shut up,” Theta snapped, but it was so good to see Koschei laughing and smiling again that he couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from curling up in response. “Will you tell me what happened?” he asked softly after another minute of walking in silence.

Koschei shrugged, his smile slipping slightly. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

He shook his head. “It just got too much,” he finally said quietly.

Theta frowned slightly and he glanced down to see Koschei absentmindedly drumming a beat of four on his leg. Acting on instinct, Theta reached down and intertwined their fingers to stop him. “You have to ignore it, Kosch,” he said gently. “You know it’s not real.”

“Yeah, everyone keeps saying that, but guess what?” he asked irritably. “It feels real to me.”

He looked over at his friend sympathetically for a moment before he stepped to the side, pulling Koschei along with him as he left the path and led the way to the top of the grassy hill. Koschei didn’t say anything, used to Theta dragging him along as some new whim struck him. When they reached the crest of the hill, Theta released his hand and plopped down in the grass. Koschei sat down beside him much more gracefully and followed Theta’s gaze up to the starry sky.

“Like I said, lost in the stars,” Koschei muttered.

“Hm?” Theta hummed distractedly.

“Nothing,” he shook his head before twisting around to lay down with his head resting in Theta’s lap.

Theta blinked down at him, his stomach twisting itself into a loose knot. He quickly looked back up to the sky as Koschei’s eyes moved up to him, afraid of what his face might give away.

“What’re you thinking?” Koschei asked curiously.

He quickly cast around for something that sounded like a reasonable train of thought. “I heard a rumor that you were considering taking the title of ‘Master.’”

“I am,” he admitted.

He looked down at him, his eyebrows drawn together. “Don’t you think that sounds a little egocentric?”

“Says the guy who thinks the universe revolves around him,” he mocked.

He glared. “But seriously? Master?”

His gaze slid up towards the stars. “I’ve spent almost my entire life feeling like I’m not in control of anything. I want to change that.”

“And become master of all?” he asked skeptically.

“If I must,” he answered matter-of-factly.

Theta rolled his eyes. “Ok then, Master,” he said playfully.

There was a spark in Koschei’s eyes as he looked back at him. “Hm, I think you just made up my mind for me,” he hummed thoughtfully. “I could get used to you calling me that.” He winked.

He could feel his cheeks heating up and he cleared his throat as he looked away. What was going on? Was Koschei _flirting_ with him? Should he flirt back? Or was he just joking? That sounded like a thing he would do, but… if Theta flirted back, did it have the potential to _become_ serious? Or would that just mess everything up? Did he want to risk that?

“What name are you considering, then?” Koschei asked, the flirting edge gone from his voice much to Theta’s both relief and disappointment.

“You’re going to laugh at me,” he muttered.

“Well, that’s a given. What is it?” he urged.

He sighed. “Doctor.”

Koschei snickered. “Someone who makes people better? That’s not self-righteous at all.”

“It’s not about that, it’s about the kind of person I want to be,” he explained. “It’s a promise of the kind of person I _will be_.”

He rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, my dear Doctor.”

He smiled down at him for a moment, then his gaze trailed back up to the stars. “I think I will choose that name. And then as soon as we’re done with this place, I’m going out there. And I won’t stop until I’ve explored every star in the universe.”

“Sounds like you’ll be gone a while, then,” Koschei said, disappointment audible in his voice, even though he was clearly trying to disguise it.

Theta’s gaze snapped down to him. “Well, you’ll come with me, won’t you?” he asked hopefully.

He blinked up at him, clearly surprised. “You want me to come with you?”

“Of course. Seeing the universe would be meaningless without you there to share it with.”

The smile that spread over Koschei’s face was the biggest Theta had seen a long time. “Where would we start?”

“Pick a star,” he said with a smile.

He pursed his lips thoughtfully as he looked up. He deliberated for a few seconds, then he pointed at the star directly above them. “That one.”

“Perfect.” Without thinking, he brought his hand up to thread through Koschei’s hair. As soon as he realized what he was doing, he nearly pulled back, but then he saw that Koschei’s eyes had slid shut and that there was a content smile spreading across his face, so he pretended not to notice how intimate the gesture was, and he continued. If Koschei had opened his eyes in that moment, he would have seen that Theta had been telling the truth earlier. The stars were gorgeous in the sky, but Theta couldn’t tear his gaze away from Koschei’s face long enough to even start getting lost in them.

“Theta,” Koschei said softly after several minutes of silence. “Promise me this won’t ever change.”

Theta frowned in confusion. “What could possibly change it?”

He was silent for a minute, and Theta started to wonder if he might not answer. “Me,” he finally said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

He shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’ll be you and me forever, Kosch. I promise.”

***

The Doctor turned and aimed the gun at his best friend. And the Master’s face, the tears in his eyes… he really thought in that moment that the Doctor was going to shoot him. For all of his taunts and jeers, when it came down to this, his heartbreak was plain for everyone to see. But if he was about to die, what was the point of hiding it anymore?

“Get out of the way,” the Doctor said firmly.

Surprise flickered across the Master’s face, and then realization, as the corner of his mouth quirked up just slightly. He dove aside and the Doctor took aim at the machine and he fired, shattering the link to Gallifrey.

“The link is broken!” he shouted as he turned back to the Time Lords. “Back into the Time War, Rassilon! Back into hell.”

“You’ll die with me, Doctor!” Rassilon threatened.

“I know,” he said, resigned to his fate.

Suddenly, a voice rang out behind him. “Get out of the way.”

He spun back towards the Master, eyes wide as he saw what his old friend was preparing to do. The Doctor dove aside as the Master took aim and released a blast of energy that collided with the Lord President.

“You did this to me!” he shouted. “All of my life! You made me!” He was walking forward as he released his attacks and the Doctor saw with horror that the Master was accepting the fate that should have been his. That he was going to get sucked back to Gallifrey, to the Time War, instead.

“One!”

No.

“Two!”

He didn’t know if he could make it. It could mean the end for both of them.

“Three!”

The Doctor sprang, his arms wrapping around the Master’s waist as he collided with him and dragged him to the ground. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, afraid to so much as take a breath, until he felt the last of the connection dissipate.

He cracked open his eyes. It was the same room. The Time Lords were gone. It was just him and the Master.

“I’m alive,” he breathed in disbelief. Of course, he supposed the Master could still technically kill him now, and a part of him expected that to happen in that moment. He looked down at the Master, who was trapped beneath his body, but still as dangerous as ever, and saw that he was looking up at him with wide eyes.

“You saved me,” he said in surprise.

“Course I did,” he muttered. “Don’t you ever listen? It’s you and me forever, so long as I have a say in it.”

The Master swallowed thickly, clearly trying to keep any emotion from showing on his face. “Doctor-”

And that’s when he heard the knocking. Knock, knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock, knock.

The Doctor’s hearts stopped as he slowly pushed himself upright and turned towards the source of the sound. _Wilf._

“They gone, then?” Donna’s grandfather called through the glass door that he was trapped behind. “Yeah, good-o. If you could let me out?”

“Yeah,” he muttered as he got to his feet. Everything was starting to take shape now. It wasn’t the Master, it never had been. It was _knocking,_ not _drumming_ , of course….

“Only, this thing seems to be making a bit of a noise,” Wilf continued.

He nodded, looking down at where the Master still lay on the floor, locking eyes for just a moment. “You left the nuclear bolt running.” He looked back over at Wilf. “It’s gone into overload.”

“And that’s bad, is it?”

“No,” the Doctor explained, keeping his voice carefully emotionless as the Master rolled his eyes and got to his feet. “Because all the excess radiation gets vented inside there. Vinvocci glass contains it. All five hundred thousand rads, about to flood that thing.”

“Oh. Well, you'd better let me out, then.” Wilf didn’t panic. He was so sure the Doctor would be able to get him out without any trouble at all. And that just made everything worse.

“Except it's gone critical,” he continued. Some stupid, desperate part of his brain was still trying to work out a way for this all to work out okay, even though he knew it was pointless. Maybe if he had more time, but that had never been in the cards for him. “Touch one control and it floods. Even this would set it off.” He held up the sonic, his expression grim.

Realization flooded Wilf’s face. “I’m sorry.”

“Sure.” He couldn’t look directly at him. He was ashamed of the anger he felt towards his friend, he knew it was out of line, but he couldn’t help it. Even though he knew that none of this was intentional on Wilf’s part, his instinct was to blame him.

“Doctor,” a voice spoke from behind him, the tone warning. “Don’t.”

The Doctor didn’t turn around. He couldn’t look at him right now, not with his pain and desperation plastered so plainly across his face. He had to at least try to hold it together, if only because of their audience.

“Look, just leave me,” Wilf pleaded.

He choked back a sob, disguising it as a laugh. He couldn’t make this easy, could he? Like he could just walk away right now? He wanted to yell at Wilf, at the universe, shout to the sky that _this wasn’t fair!_ But he was acutely aware of the Master some distance behind him. The Master, who he had always encouraged to be more selfless, like himself. Hah! If he could only see what was going on in his mind now.

“This was always the way things were going to end,” he said instead, barely holding himself together. “There was never any changing it.”

“No really, just leave me. I'm an old man, Doctor. I've had my time.”

He once again had to bite his tongue to hold back what he wanted to say. But if he agreed, if he said that his life as a Time Lord was more valuable than one human, the Master would have every right to call him a hypocrite, to say that everything he’d ever lectured him on were lies. It was for the best, really. Wilf didn’t need to see that side of him.

“I can’t do that,” he said instead as he started to walk towards the door.

“Oh, stop being so dramatic.” Suddenly, there was the sound of the gate powering down.

The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks and rounded on the Master, where he now sat behind a computer, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face. “What did you do?” he demanded.

He gave a small shrug. “I reversed the polarity.”

He blinked at him in surprise, then looked back over his shoulder as Wilf experimentally pushed on the door. It swung open. “Why didn’t I think of that?” he muttered. But of course, he didn’t know this equipment at all, didn’t know how all the fail-safes functioned, whereas the Master was who had made it work in the first place. Of course he had the solution. Really, the only surprising thing about this was that he had actually acted on his knowledge.

Naturally, the other Time Lord’s explanation was slightly different. “Because I’m smarter than you,” he said smugly.

“You saved me,” Wilf exclaimed, looking at the Master in confusion as he stepped out of the booth.

The Master scoffed in disgust as he rose from his chair. “I didn’t save _you,_ I saved _him.”_

The Doctor wasn’t sure quite what to think as he looked over at his oldest friend. He hadn’t wanted to die, had been willing to do almost anything to prevent it – anything except for letting another die in his place. And despite everything, when it had come down to it, he had been resigned to his fate. But now, he was alive. Because of the Master. Against all odds, they had both survived this day, and that presented an opportunity that he couldn’t just throw away.

“Wilfred, could you give us a minute, please?” he asked without taking his eyes off the Master.

“What? You and him?” Wilf asked, looking between them. “Are you going to arrest him or something?”

The Master arched an eyebrow, but he also maintained eye-contact with the Doctor.

“No,” the Doctor answered without hesitation.

“But – everything he just did…. He’s not coming with us, is he?”

He sighed while the corner of the Master’s lips quirked up in amusement. “Just… give us a minute, please.”

“Alright, then…” He started towards the door, pausing on his way out to look at the Master. “You’d better not do anything to him.”

The Master turned to him with a withering expression. “I just saved him, try to keep up.”

“I’ll be fine, Wilfred,” the Doctor assured him, nodding towards the door.

Wilf sighed, but turned with a small nod and walked out the door.

“Let me guess,” the Master said as soon as it was just the two of them. “You want me to come with you.”

“Actually, I was going to say thank you,” he said casually as he took a few steps forward, towards the other Time lord.

He blinked at him in surprise, and maybe, just _maybe_ there was a hint of disappointment in his expression. “So, you _don’t_ want me to come with you?” he asked skeptically.

“Oh, more than anything.” His tone was earnest and he went ahead and took the few more necessary steps to walk around the table that separated them, stopping just a couple feet in front of him. “But it’s your choice. I can’t make you.” He’d learned the hard way that if he tried to make the Master do anything, he’d do just the opposite.

He looked at him thoughtfully. “Why?”

“You’re still dying, but if we put our minds together, we can figure out-”

“No, Doctor,” he interrupted. “Why do _you_ want me to come with you?”

He took a deep breath. That was a much more difficult question to answer without laying all his cards out on the table. Then again, maybe that’s exactly what he should be doing. The Master had just come through for him, after all. Maybe this was what he needed to hear. “Because what happened to you wasn’t fair, and I want to make things right. Because I didn’t listen to you when we were kids, and I should have. Because…” There were tears sparkling in his eyes at this point. “Because I want my best friend back.”

The Master looked away, but not before the Doctor saw the glistening of tears welling up in his eyes. “Yeah… me too.”

Hesitantly, the Doctor reached out his hand, letting it hover between the two of them, offering. The Master looked down at it for a moment before he slowly extended his own and intertwined his fingers with his. Warmth flowed up the Doctor’s arm to his chest at the contact, and with it came a feeling of hope stronger than anything he’d felt in years.

“Well, you have me… if you want.”

The Master looked at their joined hands, then his eyes flickered up to his face. “And what happens when I do something you disapprove of?”

Not if, when, and the Doctor wasn’t foolish enough to question that. “We’ll figure it out.” He took a step closer. “But I won’t push you away. I promise.”

“Wouldn’t be the first promise you’ve broken,” he pointed out, coldness creeping into his voice.

He gave a half-shrug, tilting his head to the side in acknowledgement. “Yeah. But I’m hoping I’ve learned at least something from our past. And I’m not one to make the same mistake twice.”

“You could be making a whole new mistake, trusting me,” he pointed out, a challenge in his eyes.

“I could be,” he agreed. “But I don’t think so. And it’s worth the risk.”

He frowned, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion. “Why?”

The Doctor smiled softly. “Do you remember what I said to you when we were kids? Exploring the universe, sure it’s great, it’s brilliant, but… as soon as I’m with you, I realize I’m just a shell. It’s all meaningless without you by my side.”

The Master looked up, clearly trying to force down the tears that were gathering in his eyes. “A lot has changed since you said that,” he said thickly.

He used his free hand to reach out, laying it against the Master’s cheek and using it to gently guide him to look him in the eyes. “Doesn’t make it any less true,” he said fervently. He didn’t know what seized him in that moment, maybe it was the vulnerability that was seen so rarely on the Master’s face, maybe it was that the Doctor had been keeping so much buried so deep inside him for too long now, but before he knew what he was doing, he was leaning forward and pressing his lips against the Master’s.

Immediately, he expected to be pushed away, but instead the Master simply froze. The Doctor started to pull away, praying that he didn’t just ruin his chances of getting the Master to come with him, but then he felt a hand grip his hip tightly, almost painfully, pulling him forward, and suddenly the Master was kissing him back fiercely. He allowed himself to be pulled flush against the Master’s body, his hand slipping around to thread through his hair.

When the Master eventually pulled back, he was smiling victoriously, his eyes sparkling. “Really, Doctor, you should have led with that.”

***

“Theta, there you are,” Koschei called as walked up the sidewalk to where his friend was standing. “What are you-”

“You lied to me,” Theta said without looking over at him.

That brought him up short. “What?” he asked after a second of stunned silence.

“I mean, it’s not the first time. Won’t be the last.” He finally turned to face him, his expression distant. “But it will be the last time I believe you.”

Koschei – or the Master, as most people called him now – blinked in surprise, then narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You broke your word, and because of that, a lot of people got hurt. Not that you care about that.” He shook his head, some of his sorrow showing in his eyes. “I used to think we were the same, but as it turns out, we couldn’t be more different.” Some small part of him hoped that Koschei was going to argue, but of course he didn’t. He couldn’t. Theta had spent so long attempting to live in ignorance, and maybe Koschei had been doing the same, he didn’t know. The one thing he was sure of was that it couldn’t go on. He sighed sadly. “I wish I could still trust you, Koschei, I really do, but-”

Theta thought he saw a flash of heartbreak in Koschei’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by anger. “My name is the Master,” he interrupted coldly.

He breathed in a deep breath through the pain, feeling as though something tangible had just been severed between them. “Right,” he muttered.

“And I couldn’t be happier at your little realization, _Doctor,”_ he nearly spat his name at him. “It means that I’ll no longer have to suffer your judgment whenever I so much as breath in the wrong direction.”

“Well, I’m glad you’ll be happier,” he said with a grimace, the bitterness of the situation sinking in, mingling with his sorrow. “I know I will enjoy having the responsibility of you taken off my shoulders. I only hope you can handle cleaning up your own messes for a change.”

“If I’m not your responsibility, what does it matter to you if my messes get cleaned up at all?” he asked with a smile as cold as ice.

The Doctor hesitated for just a moment. Because, of course the Master _wouldn’t_ clean up his mess – he reveled in destruction far too much for that, and if he didn’t do it…. No, it was not his problem. Someone else could pick up the pieces the Master left in his wake. It wouldn’t be him. “I suppose it doesn’t.” He sighed. “I do wish you well… Master. I hope that one day you’ll be able to see that instead of obsessing over what’s not there, instead of allowing it to drive you to madness, there is _so much more_ that the universe has to offer. I thought I could help you with that, but as it turns out, I can’t.”

“Are you done yet?” he asked, his tone bored.

He gave another sigh. It had been one last attempt, without much hope behind it, but he just had to accept that the Master was just too far gone. He may be his oldest friend, but that just wasn’t enough anymore. “Yes, I’m done.”

***

Wilf had a whole slew of questions, but the Doctor cut him off by assuring him that he knew what he was doing and that he had everything perfectly under control.

“And you’re sure you’re safe?” Wilf asked as the Doctor was dropping him off back home. “With him on board?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Safe as ever.”

“I just don’t understand how you can trust him after all he’s done.”

“And I can’t explain it to you,” he said with a shrug. “You’ve just got to trust me.”

“I do, but… just tell me, Doctor. What is he to you, exactly?”

He looked back at the TARDIS, the corners of his lips curling up slightly. “He’s the center of my universe.”

“Really? _Him?”_

He turned back to him with a smile. “Goodbye, Wilf,” he said, before he stepped back inside the TARDIS.

The Master was sitting in the chair beside the console, his hands behind his head and his gaze fixed on the screen in front of him. The Doctor walked over to stand behind him, just in time to see the monitor show Wilf walking back into the house.

“Eavesdropping, were you?” he asked.

The Master leaned his head back to look up at him. “As if you didn’t know I’d do just that.”

He grinned. “Fair point.” He let his hand brush over the Master’s hair as he walked over to the controls, and got a thrill at the fact that he was able to do that without fearing that he’d lose that hand (again). “We should get you to the med bay,” he said as he piloted the TARDIS somewhere secluded. “See what we can figure out. Once that’s taken care of, we can go wherever you want.” He knew he needed to leave the decisions up to him, at least to begin with, so that he didn’t feel like the Doctor was the one calling all the shots while he was being dragged along without a choice. Once he relaxed, though, once they established their routine, then the Doctor would be able to show him some of his favorite places to visit. He’d finally be able to share all of the universe with him, just like he’d always wanted to.

“Do you remember at the academy?” the Master asked after a second, his voice too casual for the Doctor to buy it. “When we made a pact to explore every star in the universe together?”

The Doctor smiled as he reached over to pull the screen around in front of him. “I was thinking about that earlier today,” he admitted.

“You told me to point to where I wanted to go first,” he continued.

He nodded as he looked over, their eyes meeting immediately. “Do you remember where you pointed?” he asked, searching his expression for… well, he wasn’t really sure what. Logically, he knew that the Master probably didn’t remember the random star he had pointed to that night, and it shouldn’t matter so much to him if he did or not, but… for some reason he couldn’t quite explain, it did matter.

“Yes,” he answered, looking away, and the Doctor’s hearts leapt at that one word. “I’m sure you’ve already seen it, though.”

He knew the look in the Master’s eyes, that hint of betrayal that normally preceded his perceived revenge – maybe not immediately, but eventually – and he couldn’t believe that one star meant so much to him. That it meant as much to him as it did to the Doctor. “No,” he said softly. “I could never bear the thought of going without you.”

The Master took a minute to take control of his emotions before he spoke. “How sentimental of you,” he mocked.

The Doctor didn’t mind. He knew what the Master really thought about it, and he knew why he felt he had to disguise it. Something told him there’d be a lot of that now that they were traveling together. “That’s me,” he said with a smile. “Sentimental, especially where you’re concerned. So, how about we make sure you don’t die? It would be truly unfortunate after I just went through all the trouble of saving your life.”

He rolled his eyes as he got to his feet. “I think you mean, after you finally built up the courage to kiss me after 900 years.”

“Who said I’ve wanted to kiss you all that time?” he demanded indignantly.

He arched an eyebrow at him, everything in his expression screaming _Seriously?_

“Alright, let’s just get you to the med bay,” he grumbled as he turned and started down the hall. He heard the Master chuckle as he followed after him.

***

“Doctor!”

The Doctor had been hurrying down the busy Gallifreyan street when the familiar voice caught his attention. He stepped out of the throng of the crowd as he turned to greet his old friend. “Master,” he said cordially.

The Master grinned at the use of his name. “I would have thought you’d be off traversing the galaxy by now.”

He shrugged delicately. “Well, things changed,” he said matter-of-factly. Years of practice allowed him to separate himself from any pain their history brought up, any pain that came with the thought of _That was always supposed to be you and me._

He raised his eyebrows curiously. “What things?” he asked innocently.

The Doctor’s eyes narrowed just slightly. Nothing about the Master was innocent. He had to suspect the truth, and he would just love to know that he still had such an impact on the Doctor’s life. But he would not give him that satisfaction. So, he went with a different reason, instead. “Well, for a start, I’m getting married tomorrow.”

It was almost satisfying to see the shock that flashed over the Master’s face. Maybe it even would have been totally satisfying, if it weren’t for the fact that he could have sworn he caught traces of pain there, as well. By the time the other Time Lord spoke, though, the only emotion detectable was surprise. “Married? Why wasn’t I invited?”

“I think you know. I don’t need you wreaking havoc at the ceremony.”

He placed a hand over his chest. “You wound me, Doctor,” he said, but there was a gleam in his eyes that told the Doctor that his concern was well-founded.

“I’ll survive,” he replied dryly.

He chuckled. “So, you’re waiting until after the wedding to travel, then?”

The Doctor opened his mouth, closed it again, then sighed. “No,” he said finally. “She’d rather stay here.”

“What is this?” The Master laughed. “The man who has always dreamed of seeing the stars, resigning himself to live out his days on Gallifrey? How quickly you have given up your autonomy.”

His eyes narrowed. “Sometimes, love is enough to change someone.”

“Ah, but someone with enough strength doesn’t allow someone’s love to guilt them into changing who they are,” he countered coolly.

“Only a fool would view love as a threat. It is not a hammer, forcing someone into a shape they are not; it is like a polisher, gently smoothing away the rough edges, encouraging one not to be different, but to be the best version of themselves. It is truly a shame when one rejects that. A shame when their true potential is never realized.”

“The idea that one should need someone else to reach their full potential is to label them as weak.”

“Only you would see it that way,” the Doctor said sadly. “And on that note, I really should be going.”

“Of course, my dear Doctor.” The Master gave him a little mock-bow. “Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. May your wedding day go off without a hitch.”

***

“What are you thinking about?” the Master asked curiously as he lay on the table, recovering. His lifeforce was now stabilized, but the whole ordeal had still taken its toll on him. It was clear from the tension in his muscles that he was already tired of being forced to lay still, but he also knew that it was necessary.

The corner of the Doctor’s mouth twisted up slightly. He would ask him that now. “I was just remembering the time you kidnapped my wife the day before our wedding.” It was odd to say that so casually, to speak about his past with someone who knew it, but it was nice. Well, maybe not this particular topic of his past, but it was still refreshing, in its own way.

He smiled fondly at the memory. “Well, can you blame me? You should have been marrying me, not her.”

“Oh, was that what you thought?” the Doctor hummed thoughtfully. “And here I thought you believed love to be a weakness.”

The Master’s eyes flickered over to him, then back up to the ceiling. _“Love_ is. Possession is something entirely different.”

“So, that’s what this has all been about?” he asked, watching the Master carefully. “Destroying everything I care about? Forcing me to clean up your messes? It’s all been to get possession of me.”

“And look at the way you watch me, Doctor,” he said with a smile, clearly reveling in what had just come to light. “I’ve won.”

“Well…” The Doctor smiled slightly the Master’s eyes snapped over to him, his smile vanishing as abruptly as though he’d just been slapped.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded, pushing himself into a sitting position.

The Doctor leaned over him, placing his hand over his chest to gently push him back down onto the table. “Don’t strain yourself,” he reminded him. “You need to let your body recover.”

The Master glared up at him. “Tell me what you meant.” He was clearly furious at the Doctor’s insinuation, but as the Doctor looked down into his face, he realized that he was also afraid. Afraid that perhaps he didn’t have as much of a hold on him as he had thought.

“You can label it as possession all you want,” he explained matter-of-factly. “But you’re only saying that to cover up what you perceive as a weakness.”

He just looked at him for a moment, his expression impossible to decipher, and then he sneered. “You’re trying to imply that I’m in love with you.”

“No.” The Doctor shrugged, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. “I don’t know how you feel about me. Maybe it’s love, maybe it’s not, but either way, it’s something you’re afraid of. So, you express it through a need for possession because that seems safe.” He shook his head slightly. “I just can’t believe it took me until now to realize it.”

“Well, you are pretty daft,” the Master ridiculed. _“Not_ that I’m saying you’re right,” he added quickly.

“Course not,” the Doctor chuckled, unable to keep the smile from his face. “You were right about one thing, though.”

“And what’s that?” he asked curiously.

“You win. I’m yours.”

The look of shock that passed over the Master’s face now was _definitely_ satisfying. For all that he believed it, he had not expected the Doctor to say those words. “If you’re not going to let me up, Theta, you’d better get down here.”

The Doctor beamed. And since those words had done such a number on the Master, since the Doctor was rather enjoying having the upper hand for once, he just _had_ to milk the moment. “Of course… Master.” He felt the shiver that ran through the Master’s body, something akin to awe on his face, but with a significantly greater amount of hunger mixed in. The Doctor made himself pause on his way down, making sure to memorize every detail of the moment, but then the Master made an impatient noise in the back of his throat and closed to distance between them, capturing his lips with in a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write Doctor x Master for a while now, and I finally got up the courage to go for it. I'm actually fairly happy with how this turned out, so if there's enough demand, I might just make this into a series of their adventures together. So, if you enjoyed it, please let me know!


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